


Better in the Morning

by lightsinthefloors



Series: Give Us the World [2]
Category: My Chemical Romance
Genre: Anxiety, Baking, Coping, Fluff, Hiding, Hurt/Comfort, Little Space, Non-Sexual Age Regression, Open Relationship, Stress, Stress Baking, polyamorous
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-23
Updated: 2020-05-23
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:15:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24328654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lightsinthefloors/pseuds/lightsinthefloors
Summary: “I may be crazy sometimes,” Frank starts, leaning back against the couch, “but I can make a damn good loaf of bread.”
Relationships: Frank Iero/Mikey Way, Gerard Way/Frank Iero
Series: Give Us the World [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1755889
Comments: 6
Kudos: 51





	1. Gerard

**Author's Note:**

> Gerard deals with stress by going into little space. Luckily, Mikey and Frank are there to help. Liz and I wrote this whole fic in just a day or two we were so excited about it! I hope everyone enjoys!

Everyone deals with stress in different ways. Some people go the more self destructive route, like drinking or doing drugs. Others decide to be productive, like writing or making art. Gerard has always done a mix of both. Sometimes his stress can be channeled into something good. Other times, it can be bad. What helps the most though is when Gerard can let go completely; when Gerard can be little. 

Frank never minded, and it was something that Mikey always knew about. They both love and care about Gerard and only want him to be happy. So when the oldest of the group curls up in their laps and decides to be the youngest, it’s never a problem.

*

Frank comes home from work one day, noticing immediately that Mikey is the only one here. 

“Where’s Gee?” He asks, kissing Mikey’s cheek in greeting. 

Mikey smiles softly, rubbing his shoulder. “It’s been a hard day,” he says gently. 

They both know what that means. Sometimes, Gerard doesn’t want comfort at all. He’ll find a stuffed animal and a sippy cup and curl right up in bed, the door shut behind him. Frank knows that once he calms down, he’ll let them in a little bit. Gerard will come out of the bedroom and lay on the couch instead, softly requesting cartoons. Mikey’s making dinner now, so hopefully Gerard will wake up and eat. Frank should’ve known what was going on the minute he walked in just from what Mikey was cooking- mac and cheese. Gerard loves comfort food when he’s little. He likes being reminded of when he didn’t have to worry about anything. Thankfully, he has the two most amazing people in the world. His brother and Frank. Gerard never doubts that they’ll take care of him. 

“Do you know why?” Frank asks, holding Mikey close and swaying them a little. 

“I think maybe work,” Mikey hums. “He’s been working more hours at the art store. Between that and personal commissions, he’s been doing a lot. I think he’s worrying about money again.”

That was always a thought in the back of Gerard’s mind. Between the three of them, they could afford a two bedroom apartment with a decently sized kitchen for Frank to cook in when he wants to experiment. It’s sort of an unspoken thing that the guest room is mainly for when Gerard is little, but they also use it when someone wants to play music or just have some alone time. It works out perfectly. But to Gerard, too many sick days or not enough hours could cost them the place they love so much. So he always makes sure to pick up anyone’s shift or take as many commissions as possible. It can be a lot though, and sometimes he just needs to rest. 

Frank sighs sadly, wishing he didn’t have to worry so much. “He knows he doesn’t have to worry about that… I’m gonna go check on him. I’ll wake him if he’s asleep, it’s getting late for a nap.”

Mikey nods, kissing Frank’s cheek before turning back to the stove. Frank carefully lets himself in the guest room, sitting on the edge of the bed. The tv is off, but Gerard is awake, curled up with his stuffed giraffe. 

“Hey, sweetheart. I just got home,” Frank coos, rubbing up and down his back. He’s always apprehensive at first, not knowing how exactly Gerard wants to be comforted. “Mikey’s making macaroni for dinner. Does that sound good?”

Gerard thinks about it before nodding softly, turning over to look at Frank. It isn’t always this easy. Frank thought that taking care of little Gerard would be no problem, but even he has bad days. If Frank or Mikey says the wrong thing, he’ll yell and cry and kick. He’ll throw his stuffed animals and slam the door shut before locking it. Frank and Mikey never yell at him, they just wish they could understand. They always just sigh sadly, giving Gerard space. A little while later, Gerard will come out of the room, rubbing his teary eyes. He’ll sniff out a soft sorry before curling into the two of them, finally accepting some comfort. Today is easier though. He spent some time alone, and now he’s ready for cuddles. 

He reaches for Frank’s hand, looking at all the tattoos. “Good day?” He asks softly, looking up at him. 

Frank smiles, squeezing his hand in return. “Yeah, baby. I had a good day. Let’s go check on Mikey.”

Frank leads him out of the guest room and into the kitchen where Mikey is just starting to fill their bowls. 

“Hey, Gee,” Mikey smiles. “Your sippy is on the table. It’s apple juice. Is that good?”

Gerard nods, hugging Mikey before heading to the table, drinking some of his juice. Mikey grins at Frank, and the two of them carry the bowls of mac and cheese to the table. Gerard is clearly in a lighter mood. He’s still quiet, but smiles at Frank and Mikey, and he eats his dinner with no problem. 

“You’re being so nice, Gee,” Frank coos, pulling him into his lap after dinner. “I think we have some cookies left over from yesterday. Do you want some since you’ve been so good?”

Gerard smiles brightly, quickly nodding. “Mhm!” He hums, hooping off of Frank’s lap and pulling him to the kitchen. 

Frank smiles, following Gerard there. Mikey goes to put on a movie, something that will make Gerard laugh. He’s glad tonight wasn’t bad. Not only because it’s easier for him and Frank, but because he hates seeing his brother hurting so bad that he pushes everyone away. When little Gerard is happy, he can’t help but make everyone else smile. Frank and Gerard come back soon with the cookies, the little one offering a cookie to his brother, which Mikey happily accepts. The three of them curl up on the couch, sharing the plate of cookies and watching the tv. Gerard starts to nod off after a while, feeling full and content. He moves to lay across their laps, his head in Mikey’s and the rest of his body in Frank’s. Mikey plays with his hair, hoping to lull the little to sleep. 

“Gee has off of work tomorrow,” Mikey whispers. “It’s Wednesday. I think we all do.”

Getting the weekend off was too difficult for all of them to do. Frank managed to do it, and Gerard had off Saturday’s. Mikey doesn’t work on Friday or Sunday. What they did have though was Wednesday. It’s in the middle of the week, and while everyone else would want the weekend off, the three of them were able to get that day. So, that’s the day where they spend the entirety of it together. They’ll go to the movies or out to dinner. If Gerard happens to be little, they’ll go to the park or have ice cream. No matter what though, they’re always happy on Wednesday’s. 

“We do,” Frank nods. “Hopefully he’ll wake up feeling much better. No work tomorrow, and no commissions for him either. He has plenty of time to get them done. He deserves this one day off.” 

Mikey nods, knowing Frank is right. “He needs it. And maybe he’ll talk to us about what’s wrong.” 

“Yeah,” Frank sighs, rubbing his side gently. 

The two of them watch the movie to the end, and Frank carries Gerard to bed once they’re done. 

“Let him sleep in the middle tonight,” Mikey says softly. Usually Frank slept in the middle, but they know Gerard needs the comfort tonight. 

Frank and Mikey curl around either side of him, holding Gerard close. They eventually fall asleep as well, arms wrapped around Gerard. Everyone has different ways of coping. This is Gerard’s, and to Frank and Mikey, it’s the most normal thing in the world.


	2. Mikey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes when Mikey gets too overwhelmed, he likes to hide. What he doesn’t know is how that scares Frank.

By now Frank is used to the Way's eccentric tendencies. He’s accepted that they have their own sibling telepathy that Frank doesn’t think he’ll ever understand, that they can’t eat their mash potatoes if it’s touching the green beans, and that they can’t drink out of the same glass of water if it’s been left unattended for too long out of fear that it’s been dosed. 

“Have you ever done acid?” Frank had asked, rolling his eyes.

“It’s the principal,” Mikey said, and Gerard nodded with big, fearful eyes.

But he wasn’t prepared to come home and have a near heart attack when he lost the youngest Way. Gerard had been upstate at an art fair to sell some of his creations, leaving Mikey and Frank alone for the weekend. Mikey always got antsy when Gerard was gone for too long, even if they called and talked on the phone during their spare time. And Frank made sure to pay extra attention to him in these situations, which is why he came home with a stack of zombie movies from the video store and a pizza from their favorite restaurant. Only Frank came home to a quiet apartment.

Which was weird considering that Mikey would have been home hours ago. Frank sets the movies and pizza on the counter, then walks through the rooms calling softly, “Mikes?” 

When he makes it through all the rooms he sighs and calls him, thinking that maybe he ran out to go to the store or something. But then he hears Mikey’s phone ring from the couch and his blood runs cold. 

So, he does the next best thing and calls Gerard.

“Hey, Frankie!” He answers brightly.

“I can’t find Mikey.”

“Huh?”

“His phone is here, but he’s not and I can’t find him,” Frank rushes out.

There’s a pause then, “Oh.”

“Oh?” Frank presses, thinking that this situation deserves more of an explanation.

“He’s hiding,” Gerard explains, still too calm for Frank’s liking. 

“I don’t understand,” Frank huffs, the adrenaline leaving him as he sits on the couch.

“When Mikey gets stressed, he hides. There’s not many places he can hide in the apartment,” Gerard says gently. “Call me back if you can’t find him, I have to go, I have someone at my booth.”

“Okay, I’ll call you later.”

Frank checks closets, under the bed, behind the sofa and doesn’t find him. It’s a little worrisome because Mikey is so small, he could really fit anywhere and Frank isn’t sure how far he takes this hiding thing. He’s about to give up when he walks by the bathroom and stares at the bathtub with the shower curtain drawn closed, which sort of tips him off because the Ways never close the shower curtain after they’re done.

Frank walks over and pulls the curtain back, revealing a curled up Mikey Way nestled in a collection of fuzzy blankets and pillows. 

“Oh, Mikey,” Frank sighs softly. Now he knows what Gerard means. 

Mikey looks up at him, self consciously pulling one blanket up to his chin. “I’m sorry I worried you,” he finally says after a moment of silence. 

In the beginning, Gerard would be worried too. He would be assigned the task of babysitting by his parents, and his younger brother would just disappear. Once they talked it out though, Gerard understood. It can be overwhelming to deal with people when you’re stressed, especially for someone like Mikey. 

Frank gently reaches for his hand, smiling softly. “It’s okay… yeah, I was a little worried. But Gee said sometimes you just need space. That’s okay,” he says gently. “Now I know.”

Mikey relaxes a little, at first afraid that Frank would be upset with him. He never means to worry anyone. It’s just hard for him to talk about his feelings. He knows it isn’t the best thing to do, but hiding helps a lot. It’s a place where he can just curl up and sleep away all of his problems, for a little while at least. There’s a silence between them for a bit, but it’s not awkward. It’s comfortable, and Frank just holds Mikey’s hand. 

“Can I get you anything?” Frank asks after a few minutes, rubbing circles on Mikey’s hand with his thumb. 

Mikey thinks for a little, pushing his glasses up some more. “Hot chocolate is nice,” he whispers softly. “And do we have cookies?”

While Mikey’s not normally one to stress eat like Gerard and Frank do sometimes, there are a few comfort foods that always make him feel good, especially something sweet and warm. 

“I can make that happen,” Frank smiles. He kisses the top of his head before standing up, heading to the kitchen. 

As he makes the hot chocolate, Frank thinks about how Gerard is little sometimes. This is just Mikey’s way of coping with stress. He’s not mad at Frank and he’s perfectly safe. As long as those two things are true, Frank doesn’t mind a bit. He puts some chocolate chip cookies on a plate and carefully carries both that and the steamy mug back to the bathroom. 

“Here, baby,” Frank whispers, noticing how Mikey prefers the quiet atmosphere. 

“Thank you,” Mikey smiles softly. He sits up a little putting the plate in his lap and holding the mug. 

His glasses fog up a little when he takes a sip, making Frank smile. They again fall into a comfortable silence, Mikey offering Frank a cookie every now and then. They sit there until the plate and mug are both empty, and Frank speaks up again. 

“Did I make things better or worse?” He asks gently, stroking Mikey’s hair. 

“Definitely better… this time,” Mikey nods. “Sometimes I don’t mind company, as long as it’s quiet. But sometimes I also want to just be alone. And- and if I get like that, I’m not mad at you. I promise. I just like to be by myself sometimes. This was really nice though.”

Frank listens and thinks over Mikey’s explanation. It makes sense. While Gerard often seeks comfort, even he likes to be alone sometimes. Mikey just likes to be alone most of the time. Frank can understand that. He nods softly, kissing Mikey’s cheek. 

“Alright,” he smiles. “I’m gonna go now. I’ll just tidy some things up and get started on dinner in a couple hours. Gerard comes home tomorrow, I want the place to be clean. You come out whenever you’re ready.”

Mikey nods, smiling a bit. He can’t wait to see Gerard again. “Okay. Thank you, Frankie. I love you.”

“I love you too,” Frank whispers, leaving him in his cozy cocoon after that. 

Mikey does return after another half hour, silently hugging Frank from behind. He doesn’t need to say anything to get his words across. 

Thank you. I love you. 

Frank just squeezes his arms gently, turning to kiss his cheek.   
He gets it.


	3. Frank

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frank stress bakes, but sometimes he can go overboard with even that. When it happens, Mikey and Gerard have to bring him back to reality.

Frank has always been antsy. He can never sit still, always having to move. Whether it’s playing guitar or even knitting, he has to be doing something. That’s why it’s no surprise when the Ways find out that he’s a stress baker. So when Mikey comes home after work one day and the apartment smells like fresh bread, he starts to get a little concerned. 

Gerard is sitting on the couch, sewing another one of his creepy teddy bears--which are surprisingly really popular on his Etsy page. Mikey thinks they’re a little deranged, but they make Gerard happy. Gerard looks up when Mikey shuts the door and gives him a knowing look.

Not a good day.

Mikey frowns and puts his bag and apron on the kitchen counter. Frank hasn’t even looked up from the dough he’s shaping into little round mounds. 

“What are you making?” He asks gently, making sure to keep his voice even and smooth.

“Bread,” Frank says quickly, walking over to the stove to whisk something in a saucepan,“But then I thought that we haven’t had beignets in awhile so I started making those and I’m making some raspberry sauce for those...do you think your mom wants anymore of those lemon streusel muffins I made for Easter? Oh and--”

“Frankie, honey,” Mikey says quietly, “Can you put down the whisk just for a minute?”

Frank furrows his brows and sets the whisk down on the counter, turning to look at Mikey. “What’s wrong?”

Mikey smiles softly at him and pulls him into his arms. Frank’s mind runs a mile a minute when he gets stressed out, it's why they’re pretty sure Frank has to work his hands when he gets like this. He needs something to quiet his mind. When Frank first started having issues, Mikey and Gerard didn’t really know how to help. Both of them needed to slow down when they got overwhelmed, but it seemed like Frank needed stimulation when he was spiralling. Gerard had taught him to knit because it made him slow down and work both his hands and mind. And that had worked for awhile, but it was too slow and monotonous for Frank sometimes, so Mikey had shown him how to work the espresso machine at work and let him make different coffee recipes. This got Frank into recipes, which got him into baking. Mikey still laughs when he thinks about the time he woke up to Frank covering their kitchen with several different kinds of muffins, flour and sugar all over the floor. 

“You just need to slow down a bit,” Mikey murmurs, swaying them gently, “Remember what your therapist said?” Sometimes Frank just got a little lost in all his thoughts, sometimes he needed Mikey or Gerard to bring him back. “Just breathe for a minute, then you can go back to your baking.” 

Frank leans against Mikey then, and Mikey pats his back and smiles when he hears Frank exhale slowly. 

“Okay,” Frank whispers softly. “I’m okay. I’ll only make bread and then stop for the night.”

Mikey nods encouragingly, proud of him for remembering not to overdo it. That was a big problem; Frank would start baking to de-stress, but he’d go overboard. Before he knew it, hours would’ve passed. Mikey and Gerard try to limit him as much as possible, knowing that doing too much would only get him more worked up. 

“Good,” Mikey smiles gently, rubbing his arms. “Just the bread. That will calm you down. Then we’ll eat the bread and you’ll feel so much better.”

Frank nods softly, wrapping his arms around Mikey’s waist and just hiding in his chest for a little. He pulls apart after a minute, sighing softly. 

“Thank you… I’ll be done in a bit,” Frank mumbles, turning back to the oven. 

Mikey sighs softly, heading back to the living room to sit with Gerard. He lays his head on his brother's shoulder, watching him sew. 

“Why do people even buy those?” Mikey frowns at the teddy bear. “They’re scary.”

Gerard chuckles, shrugging. “No idea… how’s Frank?”

“Better than he was. I told him that he has to stop after the bread and he agreed. Why is he so upset today?”

“I’m guessing just a bad day at work,” Gerard murmurs. “I don’t know. He’ll talk to us when he’s ready.”

Mikey nods, continuing to watch Gerard sew. When he’s finally done, Mikey lays in his lap, stretching out across the couch. He wishes he could make Frank happy. They both hate to see him get so worked up and upset. It hurts to see such a normally happy person feel like that. 

“I hope he feels better when he’s done,” Mikey whispers sadly. 

“I know, Mikes,” Gerard sighs, rubbing his back. “It’ll be okay.”

Frank walks into the living room, hesitating and leaning against the doorframe. “The bread has to set before I can cut into it.”

Mikey nods silently and Gerard whispers, “Okay, Frankie.”

There’s a beat of silence before Mikey sits up and pats the spot between him and Gerard. 

Frank smiles weakly and sits between them, leaning his head on Gerard’s shoulder. Mikey kisses his cheek. “Talk to us,” he says. 

Frank shrugs. Because sometimes Frank doesn’t know what’s bothering him really. A lot of the time he just feels this buzz under his skin and his mind feels like it’s doing somersaults. Frank knows better than to try and figure out if he’s normal or not, knows better to try and compare himself to everyone else. But, he thinks that there’s something broken in him sometimes. Mikey and Gerard react to things that bother them. Mikey gets overwhelmed with working long hours where he has to be constantly on for his customer service position. Gerard stresses out about money and making sure he gets his orders out on time. But, Frank? Sometimes Frank breaks just because it’s a Tuesday and he wakes up feeling jittery.

Mikey and Gerard are always understanding, how could they not be? And they try to remind him that there’s nothing wrong with him. That his appointments to his therapist doesn’t mean anything is bad, and that when he has to take medication it’s not the end of the world. And sometimes Frank has to bake to calm his thoughts, so Mikey and Gerard will just smile and wait for the bread to set and wait for Frank to come back down to them. 

“I don’t know what’s wrong,” Frank mumbles, sighing softly. He wishes he could give them more than that. “I just felt really anxious and jittery all day long. I needed to get that all out.”

Gerard rubs his back, nodding along. “Can you think of anything that could be making you so anxious?”

Frank thinks for a moment, trying to come up with something. “I’m really not sure. I just wake up in these moods some days. And I hold it in all day at work so when I get home I feel like exploding. Baking helps,” he mumbles. 

Mikey and Gerard both nod, knowing that’s the truth. “You can do whatever helps you,” Mikey says gently. “But if you’re able to pinpoint what’s bothering you, it can help to talk about it, sweetheart.” 

“I know,” Frank whispers. “I’ll try to. Just-- today I really don’t know.”

Mikey coaxes Frank to lay down in their laps, and Gerard starts to stroke his hair. They lay like that for a while, and Frank almost falls asleep. The timer Frank set goes off after a while though, jerking them all back to reality. 

“I’ll get it,” Frank says immediately, hopping up. “I can’t wait for you guys to have some.”

They both smile fondly, giving each other the all so knowing sibling look. They’re really lucky. Frank comes back shortly with the bread and a knife, cutting them each a slice from the warm, fresh loaf. Everyone takes a bite, nodding softly at the taste. 

“This is great, Frankie,” Gerard smiles, kissing his cheek. 

Mikey nods in agreement, only taking another bite in response. Frank beams, feeling a bit better already. They eat from the loaf until there’s none left, the three of them stuffed to the brim with the comforting food. 

“I may be crazy sometimes,” Frank starts, leaning back against the couch, “but I can make a damn good loaf of bread.” 

The Ways can only nod, chuckling softly. Baking is a good way to get rid of stress, and it definitely has a good outcome.


End file.
